Page 53 of All Along

“I wasn’t there, but rumor has it her parents humiliated her in the cereal aisle.”

“I’m going to kill them.”

“You probably shouldn’t make threats to kill people on an unsecure line.”

She doesn’t need to worry. If I want to eliminate Maya’s parents, no one will know what happened to them. It’s hard to prosecute a person for murder when there are no bodies.

“Where’s Maya now?” I need to get to her. She’s probably upset. Her parents are assholes to her. I need to comfort her. I don’t want her going through this alone.

“She’s not at home. Chloe checked there already.”

I grab my keys and rush out of the cabin. “Where else could she be? Where should I search?”

“The brewery is the only place I can think of.”

I switch on my truck. “I’m on my way there.”

“I’ll let Chloe know.”

Before I have the chance to ask why, she hangs up.

I pay no attention to the rough driveway. I bounce up and down as I speed toward the main road. I grit my teeth as pain shoots from my foot through my leg to my groin, but I don’t slow down.

I make it to the main road and hit the gas. I’m speeding and should probably be on the lookout for Sammy the seal but I can’t be bothered. I need to find Maya. She’s hurting and all alone.

My phone rings and I hit answer on my dashboard.

“Why didn’t you contact me?” Paisley asks.

“What?”

“I’m Maya’s friend, too.”

Good point. Paisley is the smartest of the group. I should have phoned her first.

“I didn’t have your number.”

“You do now. I’m sending you Maya’s location.”

“You know where Maya is?”

“Of course, I do. This is why you should have phoned me first.”

She hangs up but my phone beeps with a notification seconds later. I glance at the address before gunning it toward Smuggler’s Rest.

I make it to town in five minutes instead of ten. I slow down when I reach downtown. Hitting a pedestrian will prevent me from getting to Maya.

I park on the street near the address Paisley sent me. When I exit my truck and notice the building, I swear.

The library. I should have known Maya would come here. She’s always loved this place. She spent most of her free time in high school here.

As I approach the building, the door flies open and I get a glimpse of how crowded it is inside. My stomach begins to churn. I feel as if I might vomit.

I push through the nausea. I need to get to Maya.

My hand shakes as I reach for the door. I try inhaling a deep breath to calm myself but I can’t get enough air. Something is squeezing my chest.

I force myself to step inside. Luckily, I don’t need to search the building. I know exactly where Maya is.

---